I ordered the device last week as a replacement for both my iMic and the Philips device that arrived last week (see previous post). It arrived today and I immediately installed the driver and suddenly . . . I lost my speakers! Unbelievable! I tried everything, but suddenly there was no sound coming out of my Soundsticks!

I called M-Audio and they were surprised, to say the least. But the guy in customer support was very good and we walked through the installation. Nothing there. We downloaded a new driver and went through the installation again. Everything is fine, but my speakers are not working. The port is OK, the M-audio device is OK, but suddenly I have dead speakers.

Well, there is nothing the M-Audio guy can do because their device works, my mini works, its simply my speakers -- they have died at the exact same time I've installed a new audio device.

I play around with the wiring some more, unplug, replug . . . nothing. Finally, I rub the top of the woofer, say a little prayer . . . and suddenly they spring to life!

So . . . here is my take on things. The M-Audio Audiophile USB device is great. I now get great recording from Garageband, the quality is good, etc.

But . . . I have a haunted pair of speakers . . . or a haunted mini . . . or I'm going insane (not that this would surprise anyone). There you have it -- it's time to open a bottle of wine and forget about the world._________________Mini arrived 2-11-05. Apple customer since 1982.

My set-up is like this: turntable > little dedicated amp > Audiophile USB > keyboard USB > mini. You can substitute a mic or an instrument at the beginning of the string. I also have a separate M-Audio midi device hooked up to my keyboard -- though the Audiophile will work as a midi keyboard interface, as well.

By the way, Garageband is still having trouble with the sound when the monitor is on. The sound will be fine for about 30 seconds, but then I'll get huge popping sounds. Strangely, these sounds are not on the end product -- that is, you hear then during recording, but not during playback. Very strange. I noticed this with the iMic, too.

By the way, does anyone have any experience with "Soundsoap"?_________________Mini arrived 2-11-05. Apple customer since 1982.